On conflict

Most conflicts at work arise due to two reasons:

One, due to unconscious or conscious personal biases between the conflicted parties. These are often tough to overcome and do not resolve themselves until one or all the parties involved have moved on.

The second kind of conflict is far more common. It arises when people don’t buy into your idea because they’re afraid they’ll look bad if it doesn’t work. Or worse - lose their jobs.

Most people, when faced with conflict in the workplace, make the mistake of believing it’s due to the first reason. That is rarely true. 

When faced with opposition to your idea, ask the following questions:

Have I shared the responsibility and the risk involved in this path?

Have I educated everyone who cares about the outcome, of the risks involved?

Have I made sure that I share not only the failure but also the success of this plan?

If you answer no to any of these, change your approach. Repeat until you turn all of these answers to yeses, and you'll see the conflict magically disappear.

Most importantly, don't do it to avoid conflict. Do it because it's the right thing to do.